Waiting for the league title drought to end?

When the Arsenal players crowded back to the locker room, a touching scene quietly unfolded - teammates who were absent due to injuries stood at the door in advance and lined up to applaud the victorious warriors. At this moment, the applause is not only dedicated to this nearly perfect game, but also a tribute to the team's new heights. What they long for is to continue to make breakthroughs.

Even the defeated Tottenham coach Frank also gained understanding. When the Danish coach repeatedly mentioned the team's "lack of confrontational ability" after the 1-4 defeat, the Arsenal staff watching the game read the implication - in the fierce opposition of the fans, some truths are destined to remain unspoken. The real reason for the defeat may be that the Gunners have become so powerful that it is difficult for their rivals in the same city to match.

Facing the wave of injuries, Frank deployed a 5-4-1 formation in an attempt to fight man-to-man, but Arteta's team gradually wore down their opponents with continued pressure.

What makes the league's top players even more vigilant is that the injured soldiers standing at the door of the locker room applauding will return to the game this week. Odegaard, Jesus, and Martinelli have all returned to the team, leaving only Havertz who needs to be out for several weeks. This makes the upcoming battle at Stamford Bridge even more exciting - Chelsea is eyeing second place in the league, only 6 points away from the Gunners.

Blues coach Maresca's team may become the spoiler to end the carnival in North London. After all, Stamford Bridge is regaining its confidence, and Arsenal's upcoming devilish schedule already has hidden dangers: from the 2-2 draw with Sunderland, to facing the difficult Brentford, to the away game against the resurgent Villa coached by Emery, every game is a trial.

The Premier League’s competitive balance rules are secretly taking effect. Even if Liverpool spends 400 million on signings, it is still difficult to escape the curse of defending the championship - this has become a unique phenomenon in the league. Looking back on the past: Chelsea in 2016, Leicester City in 2017, Manchester City in 2013, Liverpool in 2021... The championship throne seems to be cursed.

Although each has its own difficulties: Mourinho's entanglement with the referee, Conte's transfer dispute, and Leicester's miraculous return, the trauma caused by Jota's sudden death to Liverpool may reveal a deeper truth: some setbacks will penetrate the entire team's psychological defense.

Throughout the history of the Premier League, there are only three gods who have defended their title: Ferguson, Mourinho, and Guardiola. Behind their success is Manchester United's twenty-year dynasty foundation, Abu Jinyuan's crazy injection, or the unlimited support of oil capital. This seems to be telling a cruel reality: if you want to continue to conquer the Premier League, you need to allocate resources beyond the ordinary.

But last season, the collapse of Manchester City's throne, Crystal Palace's bid for the FA Cup, and the rise of mid-tier teams such as Bournemouth and Brighton hinted that the league is reshaping a new order. All this is inseparable from the "Profitability and Sustainable Development Rules" (PSR) - it effectively curbs the plundering of small and medium-sized clubs by wealthy clubs.

However, the upcoming new "Team Cost Ratio" (SCR) rules may tilt the balance again. Allowing clubs to spend 85% of their football revenue on player expenses may seem to encourage ambition, but in fact it will open up privileged channels for wealthy clubs. Without the checks and balances of the "anchoring mechanism" (limiting the spending multiple between top clubs and bottom clubs), the living space of small and medium-sized clubs will be squeezed.

As a club executive predicted: "The gap will definitely widen, and some teams will face severe challenges." This also means that potential stocks like Semeno are likely to be divided up by wealthy clubs in the winter window.

At the moment, Arsenal is enjoying the suspense of the championship brought by competitive balance. But the future map of the Premier League may be brewing a cliff-edge divide between the top teams and the pursuers. Perhaps this marks the end of an old Premier League era?